It May Be Quite Simple
by elfigreen14
Summary: Emma and Snow are gone for the weekend. And Killian, Henry and David are left to care for the baby. That'll go well... My CS Secret Valentine gift to Meg, aka keepcalmwearetimeless on tumblr - enjoy darling! Future!fic ONESHOT.


**A/N – Okay, I said I'd never do another CS, but fics are all I'm good at giving in these CS gift exchanges. So, in honor of Captain Swan Secret Valentine on Tumblr, this is for my darling Meg, aka keepcalmwearetimeless. Hope you like it dear!**

**Your Song**

"I'm starting to think this isn't such a good idea." Emma stood in the middle of the staircase, suitcase in hand, staring down at her mother, who was waiting impatiently.

"Emma, it's three days," Snow huffed at her. "They'll all be fine."

"Really? Because the last time I checked, none of these guys have ever looked after a baby in their whole lives!" Emma began to feel anxiety all the way to her toes. She and Snow were headed down to D.C. for the weekend, where Ruby was now situated. Apparently her wolf-half made her well suited for security work, tracking and hunting down dangerous suspects. This weekend would be their first chance to reconnect in a long time, since Emma's baby shower. Even so, she was not feeling too confident with leaving Killian, her father, and her fifteen year old son to look after Hope. Of course the boys had faced plenty more daunting tasks before, but this was her daughter. As far as Hope was concerned, Emma didn't trust anyone but herself.

Snow beckoned for Emma to make her way down the rest of the stairs. She took her own daughters hand in hers. "They have each other to rely on. She'll be fine."

"Of course she'll be fine," they heard Killian say, as he walked in from the kitchen, Henry following behind him. ""She's with her father. Nothing will happen to my little darling as long as she's got her brother and me to protect her." Emma watched as he slung his arm around Henry's shoulders, and she couldn't help but smile to herself.

"Yeah, don't sweat it, Mom," Henry told her. "We've got this under control. Go have some fun. And tell Ruby we say hi." She reached out and wrapped Henry in her arms. He was getting so tall, they would soon be eye to eye. She kissed his forehead, her grip around him slackening so she could look him in the eyes. "Watch him, please." She motioned to Killian behind him with her eyes.

"Do you have so little faith in me, Swan?" he asked with a quirked eyebrow, taking Henry's place in front of her. His arms wrapped tightly around her waist as she came in close, taking his lips with hers gently. Just as quickly, she pulled away, giving him a smirk that rivaled his any day.

"Always," she answered with a sly grin. Still reluctant to go, she held on to the fabric of his sweater and whispered softly to him. "Take care of her, Killian. Take care of both of them." She nodded her head in Henry's direction. "Take care of them both." He leaned in for another gentle peck, and Emma's worry melted away as his kiss filled her with a warmth she thought she'd never feel.

"Of course, love," he replied, sharing with her an honest smile, the kind he reserved only for her. "Now go, or Red will have both our heads."

She smiled at him, embracing him one last time before departing. "David will be by tomorrow to check in on you two," Snow informed them. She pulled Emma along behind her. With one last look at her two boys, Emma followed her mother and closed the door behind her. Not two seconds after the yellow bug pulled away, the two heard a cry coming from up the stairs.

"So," Henry said, turning to his stepfather. "Now what?"

"David, it's Henry. Again. I know you're busy at the sheriff station and all, but if you could just call me back, that would be great-"

"There aren't even any criminals in this town, Dave. Get your bloody arse over here soon!"

"Killian's a little stressed. And Hope's crying. Again… yeah. Let me know if you can stop by. Later."

He must've played the message over in his head fifteen times by the time he pulled up to Emma & Killian's place. It didn't sound like they were in immediate danger, but David knew, or had at least heard, that a new father often got overwhelmed by his new child. This certainly seemed like something his friend could use a hand with. As he rang the doorbell, he could hear loud wails coming from the second floor. The door flew open, Henry standing at the entrance.

"You've got to help us," his grandson said. "We've tried everything."

"How long has she been crying?" asked David, stepping inside and rushing up the staircase.

"A little over an hour. Everything was fine yesterday – she ate, slept for a while. I read her a story when she woke up, then she fell asleep again. We changed her diaper in the morning, and that's not what's bothering her, so I don't know. I really don't know."

David turned to him. "Henry, relax. You're doing your best, you both are. Just breathe." They took a breath together, then Henry hurriedly led him to Hope's nursery. They walked in on Killian, a weary look on his face, cradling a crying Hope in his arms.

"Come on, darling, just tell Dad want you need. Please, I'm begging you."

"Now that I'd like to see." David smirked as Killian finally noticed him.

"It's about damn time, mate! Henry, don't ever use that word," he added quickly, getting a disapproving look from David – Henry just rolled his eyes at them. "Dave, you've got to do something. I don't know what else to do! I want to help her, but I don't know what she wants!" David reached out to take the wailing girl from his friend, but she only cried harder as she left her father's arms.

"Okay, so she obviously doesn't want anyone but you right now," David said, looking from Hope's wrinkled expression to Killian's exasperated one. "When was the last time she slept?"

"About four hours ago?" Killian looked to Henry for confirmation. He was so tired, he had no sense of time at the moment.

"Okay, so she must be tired again. Henry, try reading her a story again."

"I have!" the boy exclaimed. "We've literally tried it all. I think it's time we call Mom -"

"No!

Henry & his grandfather turned to Killian, their eyes wide with surprise. Killian looked desperate beyond belief at the moment. "If you're mother hears word about this, she'll think me completely incompetent!" He closed his eyes for a moment and tried to calm down, breathing deeply before he looked to Henry and David again.

"Go find Regina. Or Mother Superior," Killian said, looking resigned and defeated "Just find a woman who can deal with a crying child, for God's sake."

David could see his mate needed a moment. He led Henry out of Hope's nursery by the shoulders, giving his friend a sympathetic look before he left. Behind him, he heard another screaming cry, an exasperated groan accompanying it. Killian rocked Hope in his arms again and again, wishing with all his might he could get his little girl the rest she needed.

"Hope darling," he whispered to her. "I'm going to be stern with you now. I know you're tired, so just tell me what you need to help you get to sleep, and daddy will give it to you." For a moment, the baby's cries stopped, as if to listen to what her father was trying to tell her. Killian's eyes went wide in that moment, but the moment was over all too quickly. As Hope began to cry again, he realized something he and Henry hadn't tried before.

"Alright, love. We're going to try something different now…"

At the sound of the old yellow Beetle pulling into the driveway, David hurried out from the kitchen. He opened the door just seconds before Snow reached for the handle.

"David! We -"

"Shh," he whispered to his wife. He beckoned them inside, a finger on his lip asking them to keep quiet.

"Is everything okay?" Emma asked him, seeming worried. "Is Hope sleeping?"

"I think she's about to. But Emma, you have to see this," her father told her, a proud look on his faceas he pointed to Hope's room. His smile made her curious, so she walked up the stairs and treaded carefully to the nursery. But before she even reached the door, she heard a tune drifting from behind the door.

_So excuse me forgetting, but these things I do_

_You see I've forgotten if they're green or their blue_

_Anyway the thing is, what I really mean_

_Yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen_

Emma had opened the door quietly, careful not to alert her husband to her presence. She watched in silence, tears threatening to spill over her eyes. She saw on Killian's face a look of pure love, a love neither of them never thought they'd be capable of. Henry had showed her that such a love was possible, but it had taken Killian much longer to realize this. Yes, he and Henry were as close as any father and son, but Neal would always be around to remind Killian that Henry had another father. But little Hope – she could claim Killian as her one and only father, and that was a feeling Emma knew he would treasure always.

_And you can tell everybody this is your song_

_It may be quite simple but now that it's done_

_I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind that I put down in words_

_How wonderful life is now you're in the world_

She had gone to stand next to him as he finished his lullaby, her hand threading itself into his. Her head rested on his shoulder and she could feel every slow and steady breath he took. They stood together for a moment, watching over their slumbering little angel. Finally she spoke.

"I didn't know you knew that song."

A soft smile appeared across his face. "I've heard it once or twice in this world. It's a beautiful way of tell someone what they mean to you." Killian placed a light kiss on the crown of Emma's head, never once taking his eyes off his little princess. "She's going to be good for me, Emma. She'll teach me to be better, I know it."

Emma's eyes met his, and she thought she had never loved him more than she did in that moment.

"She's going to teach us all to be better."


End file.
